About
Shaffer's High Sierra Summer Camp offers activities such as archery, arts and crafts, camp fire and evening programs, performing arts, hip hop, and volleyball. Campers take part in outdoor and adventure options including swimming in a pool and lake, hiking, backpacking, a challenge ropes course, disc golf, gold panning, horseback riding, lake kayaking, mountain biking, mountain boarding, paddle boarding, rock climbing, shelter building, and whitewater rafting. The camp also offers a leadership training program for returning campers and specialized program tracks in mountain biking, rock climbing, and outdoor living skills.
• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: Sessions of two weeks or longer
Shaffer's High Sierra Summer Camp is led by Lisa and Scott Shaffer. The camp has a leadership training program for returning campers who are at least 14 years old and attending for two weeks or longer, and campers in this program may help staff facilitate a program activity and mentor a younger bunk group. The camp has no Wi‑Fi and limits enrollment to 120 campers. Shaffer's High Sierra Summer Camp was recommended by Outside Magazine and the LA Times, was named by Outside Magazine as one of its five favorite camps in the U.S., and was included by Newsweek on its list of the nation’s best camps. The camp participated in a research study conducted by Stanford University's Graduate School of Education on life benefits provided by summer camp, and it has a policy that prohibits unlawful discrimination on numerous protected bases. Parents in testimonials describe campers returning home asking to extend their stay the following summer, mention campers meeting kids from around the world, and note activities such as rock climbing, mountain boarding, crafts, hip hop, sleeping in a tipi, and cooling off in mountain lakes. Multiple testimonials describe campers wanting to return each year and refer to the camp as a positive experience for first-time overnight campers and for a child with Down syndrome.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: Sessions of two weeks or longer
Shaffer's High Sierra Summer Camp is led by Lisa and Scott Shaffer. The camp has a leadership training program for returning campers who are at least 14 years old and attending for two weeks or longer, and campers in this program may help staff facilitate a program activity and mentor a younger bunk group. The camp has no Wi‑Fi and limits enrollment to 120 campers. Shaffer's High Sierra Summer Camp was recommended by Outside Magazine and the LA Times, was named by Outside Magazine as one of its five favorite camps in the U.S., and was included by Newsweek on its list of the nation’s best camps. The camp participated in a research study conducted by Stanford University's Graduate School of Education on life benefits provided by summer camp, and it has a policy that prohibits unlawful discrimination on numerous protected bases. Parents in testimonials describe campers returning home asking to extend their stay the following summer, mention campers meeting kids from around the world, and note activities such as rock climbing, mountain boarding, crafts, hip hop, sleeping in a tipi, and cooling off in mountain lakes. Multiple testimonials describe campers wanting to return each year and refer to the camp as a positive experience for first-time overnight campers and for a child with Down syndrome.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
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